The 20 Most Expensive Cars from 2018’s Biggest Collector-Car Auctions

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What better time to restock or update your car collection than late January, when winter is tightly embracing much of the United States and that seven-figure stock dividend from last year is burning a hole in your ample checkbook? Well, the Phoenix metropolitan area had people like you covered last week, with numerous high-line car auctions appealing to car collectors and dreamers alike in what is annually the highest volume of collector-vehicle sales at auction.

Seven auction houses sold 2668 of the 3176 vehicle lots on offer in 2018, pulling in a grand total of $247.8 million, according to Hagerty Insurance, which had representatives observing the sales last week in Arizona. This is fractionally lower than the totals recorded in the 2017 sales, although the average car price increased by more than $3000, to $92,887, thanks in part to a number-one seller that eclipsed last year’s dearest sale—a 1963 Jaguar E-type Lightweight—by $715,000.

In hammering sold 1709 vehicles, television star Barrett-Jackson outdid the volume of every other auction house by a country mile, bringing in $112.3 million in the process. Gooding & Company placed more cars on this list of the top 20 priciest sales—seven—while bringing in $49.2 million with only 110 cars, for a week-leading average of $447,415 per. RM Sotheby’s saw $36.0 million worth of cars sell on its stage, while Bonhams did $25.2 million; both of those concerns have five cars on our list. Russo and Steele sold 415 cars, more than anyone besides Barrett-Jackson, but only one of them—a $660,000 1964 Cheetah GT—cracked the half-million-dollar mark. Worldwide Auctioneers brokered $6.1 million worth of sales on the wheels of 50 cars. Four cars in our top 20 sold for more than the entirety of the offerings from Silver Auctions, which made $3.2 million on 180 cars, for an affordable average sale price of $17,620.

But the top 20 are all well into seven-figure territory, ranging from late-model hypercars to European race cars to postwar classics and even a prewar Bentley that once served as a police car in Scotland. Swipe through to see them all:

By Car

20. 2017 Ferrari F12tdf – $1,325,000 (RM Sotheby’s)

Bringing up the rear of our 20-car auction roundup is this completely unsubtle Ferrari F12tdf. RM Sotheby’s referred to this late-model Ferrari coupe as “the ultimate homage to the Tour de France,” an understatement if there ever was one. Sure, Ferrari named the car after the Tour de France road race, but the combination of baby-blue paint, French-flag racing stripes, bronze-colored wheels, and the F12tdf’s various scoops, vents, and other angry add-ons won’t be for everyone. Ferrari dubs this arrangement the Azzurro La Plata livery. All that matters, of course, is that for one bidder, this unique 769-hp Ferrari was worth $1,325,000.—Alexander Stoklosa

Sales prices at auctions can get out of hand, but $1.4 million for a brand-new special-edition Corvette that retails for $91,335 seems particularly outrageous. The proceeds of this sale, however, were earmarked to benefit the George W. Bush Institute’s Military Service Initiative, which works to ensure that post-9/11 veterans achieve successful transitions back into civilian life, so it’s all good. Barrett-Jackson auctioned many other vehicles for various charities at its Scottsdale 2018 sale, including multiple Corvettes. For instance, the first 2019 Corvette ZR1 sold for $925,000 to benefit the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, the first 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt raised $300,000 for Boys Republic, a 1988 Corvette earned $350,000 for the American Heart Association, and a 2017 Ford GT sold for $2.5 million to benefit the Autism Society of North Carolina.—Rusty Blackwell

By Car

Photos By Barrett-Jackson

18. 1960 Ferrari 250GT Cabriolet – $1,407,500 (RM Sotheby’s)

The Ferrari 250GT cabriolet seen here is a bit of a tweener. Technically, it is titled as a 1961 model, but it was developed and built at the end of 1959. Because of the timing, it allowed Ferrari to incorporate four-wheel disc brakes and engine lessons learned from the legendary Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa race car. Basically, it’s a more plush and powerful version of the 250GT California Spider. Only 200 examples were built, and this particular car underwent a total restoration after it was exported to the United States in the 1970s. It received further cosmetic updates in the 1990s, including a repaint in the correct and original—and beautiful—Blu Scuro. The original factory hardtop adds an exquisite touch of class.—Tony Markovich

17. 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder – $1,430,000 (Barrett-Jackson)

Prior to the Ford GT’s 2:43.0 run around Virginia International Raceway, the Porsche 918 Spyder was the quickest car we’d ever wheeled around the 4.2-mile track. In fact, the 887-hp gasoline-electric hybrid sports car crossed VIR’s finish line just 0.1 second slower than the GT. To call the 918 Spyder quick would be an understatement. In fact, blindingly fast may be an appropriate description of the plug-in hybrid Porsche, as the car’s 170.6-mph run on VIR’s front straight remains the fastest figure we’ve ever recorded (the Ford holds the second-place record at 163.6 mph).

Despite this, the 918’s combination of great speed, state-of-the-art technology, and limited production (just 918 were made and about 300 were shipped to the U.S.) has made the mid-engined supercar an instant legend, factors that helped this Rhodium Silver Metallic example sell for $1,430,000, or $582,025 more than a base 918 Spyder cost in 2015. We still hold the 918 in very high regard, even if it’s no longer the Lightning Lap record holder.—Greg Fink

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Photos By Barrett-Jackson

16. 1930 Bentley Speed Six Le Mans Replica – $1,457,500 (Bonhams)

Bentley dominated the early years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, winning five of the first eight events. The Speed Six model was the culmination of Cricklewood’s efforts, earning wins in the 1929 and 1930 events. This particular car never turned a wheel in competition at Le Mans, but it was rebodied in the 1980s to resemble one of those famous Bentley Boys race cars. Prior to that reinvention, it led an interesting life, too. Its first owner logged more than 18,000 miles in the car from May 1930 until mid-1931, frequently blasting between London and the Gower Peninsula in Wales. Later that decade and with a new owner, this Bentley spent time being used by the Edinburgh police department in Scotland. Not many cars back then could outrun this Bentley, powered as it was by a monstrous 180-hp 6.6-liter inline-six.—Rusty Blackwell

By Car

Photos By Bonhams

14 (tie). 1991 Ferrari F40 – $1,512,500 (Bonhams)

When it launched in 1988, the F40 was a toast to Enzo Ferrari’s 40 years of making automobiles, and 30 years later, the celebration is still kickin’. This specific example, seen in typical Ferrari red, shows less than 2500 miles on the clock, making it one of the cleanest and best kept of the 213 that originally made it to U.S. soil. Part of the F40’s story requires mention of the Porsche 959, which was the fastest car in the world at the time. Ferrari couldn’t allow it and made the F40 both more powerful and lighter in an attempt to grab the prestigious title. For those who are counting, in our testing, we got the F40 all the way up to 197 mph.—Tony Markovich

By Car

Photos By Bonhams

14 (tie). 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster – $1,512,500 (Bonhams)

It may lack the racing provenance and gullwing doors of the original 300SL coupe, but this 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL roadster is arguably one of the best softtop SLs we’ve laid eyes on. The fifth 300SL roadster produced and the first sold in the United States, chassis number 198.042.7500081 is filled with a number of distinctive early-build features, including components carried over from the 300SL coupe such as the hood, handbrake, grille mounts, and trunk lock. Inside, the roadster features items not found on later 300SL roadsters, including a body-color dashboard, a non-reclining passenger seat, and aluminum structural bows for the convertible top (later roadsters used steel and aluminum pieces).

As impressive as this roadster’s idiosyncratic early-build details is its well-documented history. First imported to the United States in June 1957, the German sports car eventually fell into the hands of James Mozley in 1962, who held on to the car until his death in 2012. Mozley didn’t simply admire the car, either, accruing nearly 35,000 miles on the odometer during his ownership. In 2013, the car was sold and thoroughly restored at a cost of $460,000. During the restoration, the roadster’s original Fire Engine Red paint was stripped away in favor of its current finish.

No, the 300SL roadster isn’t as storied as the 300SL coupe that preceded it, but as 300SL roadsters go, a buyer could do a lot worse than this well-restored early model.—Greg Fink

By Car

Photos By Bonhams

13. 1964 Ferrari 250GT/L Berlinetta Lusso – $1,682,500 (RM Sotheby’s)

The GT/L is the last model in the storied 250GT line, incorporating as many chassis upgrades and luxury features as Ferrari could stuff under its sensual, Pininfarina-penned and Scaglietti-fitted body. This example, the 275th built—there were either 350 or 351 GT/Ls, depending on the source—was imported new to the United States, where it seems to have spent its entire life. Originally white over red leather, chassis 5537GT was painted red by a later owner, eventually being changed again to the current and gorgeous combo of Blu Sera paint over beige leather during an extensive restoration that was completed in mid-2013. Overhauled with a claim of extreme attention to factory-correct detailing, the car now sports an odometer that reads just over 44,000 miles. Nevertheless, RM’s auction description notes that more money will need to be invested to compete in top-tier concours, likely explaining a final auction price below the $1.9 million Hagerty says a perfect GT/L is worth. We’re not that picky—we’d happily park this one in our own garage.—Erik Johnson

12. 2015 McLaren P1 – $1,732,500 (Gooding & Company)

McLaren’s road-car division is still in its beginning stages compared with heavy hitters like Ferrari and Lamborghini, but when the P1 debuted, it became an instant collectible. The P1, which is part of the holy trinity of hybrid supercars with the Ferrari LaFerrari and the Porsche 918 Spyder, uses a mid-mounted 727-hp twin-turbo V-8 paired with a 176-hp electric motor for 903 total horsepower. McLaren built only 375 examples, and this car, in Special Carbon Black, is one of the more understated variants. The P1 is among the most advanced road cars ever built and will likely continue to grow in valuation in the future.—Tony Markovich

By Car

Photos By Gooding & Company

11. 1963 Iso Grifo A3/L Prototype – $1,760,000 (Gooding & Company)

After creating the Isetta bubble car in the 1950s, Iso drastically changed its approach to carmaking and produced some of the most exotic and compelling automobiles of the 1960s. One year after the Rivolta’s debut, this Grifo prototype graced coachbuilder Bertone’s stand at the 1963 Turin auto show and was quickly approved for production, although the Grifos that would follow lacked some of this show car’s unique details. Upon being restored in the 1980s, this one-of-a-kind coupe graced the fairway at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 1989, and it has returned to that esteemed show—which rarely permits any car to make a repeat appearance—twice more in the ensuing years. This is easily one of the most beautiful and important cars ever to feature a small-block Chevrolet V-8 in its engine bay.—Rusty Blackwell

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Photos By Gooding & Company

10. 1948 Tucker 48 – $1,792,500 (RM Sotheby’s)

Preston Tucker’s company built only 51 copies of its revolutionary automobile that was marketed as “the Car of Tomorrow,” 47 of which survive today and are well documented. This particular car has one of the proudest ownership stories of the whole bunch. It starred in the company’s 1948 promotional film, Tucker: The Man and the Car. It saw high-speed laps at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for testing purposes. It was Preston Tucker’s personal car from 1948 until 1955. Tucker sold the car to Winthrop Rockefeller of the famous American family; he didn’t own the car for long but went on to become governor of Arkansas. For two decades beginning in the late 1960s, Jack Bart, the longtime talent agent of singer James Brown, owned this car, along the way having it repainted and reupholstered. Otherwise, it remains remarkably original, and its art-deco odometer shows only 19,199 miles.—Rusty Blackwell

9. Pagani Huayra – $2,090,000 (Gooding & Company)

Horacio Pagani, who had design and engineering experience at Lamborghini and Renault, branched out in 1992 and started his own company. He introduced the Zonda, his first supercar, in 1999 on his way to creating one of the mainstays in the modern supercar world today.

Many years, much anticipation, and dozens of special editions after the Zonda, Pagani followed up in 2011 with the Huayra, a car that was unlike anything before it inside and out. Gobs of high-quality leather, real pieces of metal, and flashy carbon fiber elevated the cabin while gullwing doors, an elevated central quad-exhaust outlet, gorgeously shaped carbon fiber, and antennaelike side mirrors set the Huayra apart to onlookers. Only 100 examples were built, and this one has less than 1000 miles on it.—Tony Markovich

By Car

Photos By Gooding & Company

8. 2017 Ford GT – $2,500,000 (Barrett-Jackson)

Sold by Barrett-Jackson, this current Ford GT is said to be the first to be auctioned for a charitable cause. The original owner, Ron Pratte, enjoyed this supercar for just 11 miles before putting it up for sale to benefit the Evernham Family Racing for a Reason charity, which is giving the money to the Autism Society of North Carolina. It racked up $2.5 million, roughly five times the purchase price (charity auctions aren’t a good gauge of car values, since the point is to maximize one’s charitable contribution and/or tax deduction, not set sales records). The car is so new, in fact, that the new owner received the Ford Performance Racing School GT Experience driving school with the sale GT.—Alexander Stoklosa

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Photos By Barrett-Jackson

7. 1967 Ferrari 330GTS – $2,530,000 (Gooding & Company)

There isn’t a word in the modern English dictionary that properly conveys the Ferrari 330GTS’s combination of elegance and grace. The droptop sibling to the 330GTC coupe, the 330GTS offered Ferrari buyers the ideal combination of V-12 performance and wind-in-your-hair thrills. And with a top speed of almost 150 mph, the 330GTS could truly rustle the hair of those seated inside of it. Displacing 4.0 liters, the 330GTS’s V-12 engine produced an even 300 horsepower, which it channeled to the car’s rear-mounted five-speed manual transmission by way of a torque tube. Our colleagues at Road & Track managed to push a 330GTS to 60 mph in 6.9 seconds and through the quarter-mile after 14.9 seconds at 95 mph for their August 1968 issue—impressive figures for the time.

One of just 99 330GTS models produced by Maranello, chassis number 10703 left the factory wearing a coat of Rosso Cina red paint and sporting black interior upholstery. This ’67 Ferrari traded hands a number of times in the past half-century, with the droptop Italian sports car spending time with owners in New Jersey, Georgia, and Switzerland. In the mid-1990s, the car returned to the United States, where it was cared for by a single owner for more than two decades. During this time, the rare convertible was repainted black and fitted with the green upholstery it sports today. Despite its respray, this 330GTS’s limited production numbers, well-documented past, and impressive finish created a winning combination that saw it sell for a hefty $2,530,000.—Greg Fink

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Photos By Gooding & Company

6. 1972 Ferrari 365GTS/4 Daytona – $2,640,000 (Bonhams)

To many, the 365GTS/4 needs no introduction or explanation. Nicknamed Daytona after the Ferrari 330P4 did a 1-2-3 sweep of the circuit in 1967, the 365 gained a reputation as one of the greatest front-engined supercars ever. This specific example is number 72 of 123 Spiders built. It underwent a complete restoration in the 1990s at the hands of Junior Conway and his crew at Junior’s House of Color. It has since been certified and retains its original chassis, V-12 engine, transaxle, and body.—Tony Markovich

By Car

Photos By Bonhams

5. 1966 Shelby 427 Cobra S/C – $2,947,500 (RM Sotheby’s)

The 427 Cobra was conceived as a race car first and foremost, with myriad upgrades over earlier 289-cubic-inch versions, including Ford’s 500-ish-hp 427 side-oiler V-8, coil springs all around a larger 42-gallon fuel tank, an oil cooler, a riveted hood scoop, side exhausts, dual lightweight batteries, those iconic flared fenders, and an external fuel filler. But with only 50 or so of the required 100 competition-spec homologation chassis having been constructed, it failed to earn FIA certification, and roughly two-thirds of the cars were then built into street-legal S/C—for semi-competition—variants and sold into private hands. That includes this car, chassis number CSX3040, which was delivered new to a doctor living in a bedroom community of Los Angeles and subsequently owned by collectors in England and Australia. Packing all the competition goodies and being both sympathetically restored and lightly used over its lifetime—compared with many 427 Cobras, anyway—it makes sense that this mostly original example would sell above even Hagerty’s lofty $2.35 million valuation for concours-quality S/Cs.—Erik Johnson

4. 1931 Bugatti Type 55 – $4,070,000 (Gooding & Company)

Old Bugattis are never wanting for monetary value, and neither is this 1931 Type 55. This specific car is the first Type 55 in existence and was owned by the Duc de la Trémoille of the French nobility. This car wasn’t born with a silver spoon in its grille; it was the silver spoon. It won the 1947 Rally des Alpes—a four-day, 1035-mile trek—too, so it has some racing heritage as well.—Alexander Stoklosa

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Photos By Gooding & Company

3. 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Spider – $4,455,000 (Gooding & Company)

Originally sold in Europe and raced extensively between 1954 and 1956 by its first two owners (it won its class four times at Zandvoort), this car has resided in the United States almost exclusively since the mid-1960s. Since then, this Pinin Farina–bodied machine has been featured on the lawn at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 1978 and participated in two Mille Miglia retrospectives in the 1990s. Original to this car, its 170-hp 2.0-liter inline-four is more or less a copy of those engines that powered Alberto Ascari to Formula 1 championships for Enzo Ferrari’s team in 1952 and 1953. Who says real Ferraris need to have a V-12?—Rusty Blackwell

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Photos By Gooding & Company

2. 1958 Porsche 550A Spyder – $5,170,000 (Bonhams)

Auction house Bonhams declares this car to be “one of the most iconic and important Porsches ever produced,” a claim that is difficult to contest. The penultimate 550A that Porsche built (of 40 total), this car was campaigned by the factory for the 1958 racing season, scoring a class win and sixth overall at the Nürburgring 1000 Kilometers and second in class and fifth overall in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 1959, Porsche sold the car to a private owner in Canada, where a promising young wheelman named Peter Ryan drove it to Canadian sports-car championships in 1960 and ’61. More recently, it competed in 10 consecutive historic Mille Miglia events. Today, the car retains its original 1.5-liter flat-four and wheels from a contemporary Porsche RS60, which—at 4.5 inches—are wider than the 550A’s original wheels. For comparison, an earlier, Jerry Seinfeld–owned blue 550 Spyder sold at the 2016 Amelia Island auctions for $165,000 more than this car.—Rusty Blackwell

By Car

Photos By Bonhams

1. 1965 Ferrari 275GTB Speciale – $8,085,000 (Gooding & Company)

Ferraris accounted for eight of the 20 most expensive cars auctioned in Arizona over the past week, and this 275GTB Speciale put a loud exclamation point on the show. Sold for $8,085,000, it rang up nearly $3,000,000 more than the second-priciest car, a 1958 Porsche 550A Spyder. And for good reason.

There are numerous 275GTBs out there, but this Speciale is a one-of-one coachbuilt piece of art crafted for Battista “Pinin” Farina, the founder of the company that designed many Ferraris and helped boost the company into icon status. This Speciale is one of the original two chassis given to Pininfarina to create the 275 series. The Speciale has a far more luxurious interior than the typical Scaglietti-built 275, and the exterior has numerous tweaks that separate it from the pack. Only the passenger has a vent window, the hood features a bulge for the six Weber carburetors underneath, the grille is different, the bumpers are smaller, the headlights have different covers, and even the door handles are distinct. It also had Campagnolo Starburst aluminum wheels instead of the Borrani wire wheels on regular 275s. This car is a crown jewel in Ferrari’s history and became even more precious last year, when Ferrari stopped offering cars designed by Pininfarina.—Tony Markovich